World of Worldly Gods

In World of Worldly Gods, Kelzang T. Tashi offers the first comprehensive examination of the tenacity of Shamanic Bon practices, as they are lived and contested in the presence of an invalidating force: Buddhism. Through a rich ethnography of Goleng and nearby villages in central Bhutan, Tashi investigates why people, despite shifting contexts, continue to practice and engage with Bon, a religious practice that has survived over a millennium of impatiencefrom a dominant Buddhist ecclesiastical structure. Against the backdrop of long-standing debates around practices unsystematically identified as 'bon', this book reframes the often stale and scholastic debatesby providing a clear and succinct statement on how these practices should be conceived in the region.Tashi argues that the reasons for the tenacity of Bon practices and beliefs amid censures by the Buddhist priests are manifold and complex. While a significant reason for the persistence of Bon is the recency of formal Buddhist institutions in Goleng, he demonstrates that Bon beliefs are so deeply embedded in village social life that some Buddhists paradoxically feel itnecessary to reach some kind of accommodation with Bon priests. Through an analysis of the relationship between Shamanic Bon and Buddhism, and the contemporary dynamics of Bhutanese society, this booktackles the longstanding concern of anthropology: cultural persistence and change. It discusses the mutual accommodation and attempted amalgamation of Buddhism and Bon, and offers fresh perspectives on the central distinguishing features of Great and Little Traditions.

World of Worldly Gods: The Persistence and Transformation of Shamanic Bon in Buddhist Bhutan is an extraordinarily rich engagement with village ritual practices in Bhutan framed in the encompassing religious dynamics of contemporary Bhutan. Kelzang Tashi has produced by far the best ethnographic work we have on Bhutan and it stands out as one of finest ethnographic accounts of ritual practice across the Himalayas. Conceptually sophisticated and ethnographically grounded well beyond ritual, this work stands to become a classic in the anthropology of the Himalayas. David Holmberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Cornell University
This unique study combines rich ethnographic detail about religious practices in Central Bhutan with fascinating stories of on-the-ground social and political maneuverings for religious authority. Kelzang Tashi shows us religious change not as the outcome of some vague "modernization" process, but as the product of specific local conflicts, and specific histories of engagement between local villagers and the state. This is a valuable contribution to the emerging anthropology of Bhutan. Sherry B. Ortner, Distinguished Research Professor of Anthropology, UCLA
Based on research into the rituals of bon specialists in the village of Goleng in central Bhutan, the book records bon ritual traditions anchored in the rapidly changing social hierarchy of the villagers. It impartially describes the patterns of increasing control by lay Buddhist specialists. With insight and new information, it is a must-read for those interested in the real life of communities in the Himalayan region and ethnographic Tibet. Daniel Berounsky, Associate Professor of Tibetology, Charles University, Prague
Kelzang Tashi's book is a significant and welcome contribution to the literature on the various Tibetan and Himalayan religious practices known as Bon. The author gives a clear and straightforward picture of what the villagers of Zhemgang in Central Bhutan mean by Bon, and shows how Bon ritualists form a vital part of the communal life of the region. Coming from the region himself, Kelzang is well equipped to present the village perspective, and his anthropological training allows him to place it in a wider context. This book will be an important reference for anyone who wants to understand village level religion in Bhutan, Tibet and the Himalayas more generally. Geoffrey Samuel, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, Cardiff University.
Tashi offers a fascinating study on the current situation of Bon in Bhutan. Ngawang Zepa, Religious Studies Review
This book is groundbreaking for the field of Himalayan studies as it describes in detail Bon in Bhutan with its system of beliefs its practitioners and its rituals as well as the pressures of Buddhicization. Well written and rich in anecdotes...World of Worldly Gods is highly recommended to any religious scholar or anthropologist working in the Himalayas. Françoise Pommaret, The Journal of Asian Studies
It is significant not only as one of the first books by a Bhutanese anthropologist but also for its impressive engagement with the wider anthropological debatesconcerning issues of socioreligious change and continuity and the plurality of religious systems in this understudied region. Dendup Chophel, Current Anthropology

Kelzang T. Tashi is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Asia Research Institute at National University of Singapore and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at London School of economics and Political Science. He received his PhD in Anthropology from the Australian National University in 2020. His areas of interest include religion, society, kinship and gender, health and healing, and the environment.

In World of Worldly Gods, Kelzang T. Tashi offers the first comprehensive examination of the tenacity of Shamanic Bon practices, as they are lived and contested in the presence of an invalidating force: Buddhism. Through a rich ethnography of Goleng and nearby villages in central Bhutan, Tashi investigates why people, despite shifting contexts, continue to practice and engage with Bon, a religious practice that has survived over a millennium of impatiencefrom a dominant Buddhist ecclesiastical structure. Against the backdrop of long-standing debates around practices unsystematically identified as 'bon', this book reframes the often stale and scholastic debates by providing a clear and succinct statement on how these practices should be conceived in the region.Tashi argues that the reasons for the tenacity of Bon practices and beliefs amid censures by the Buddhist priests are manifold and complex. While a significant reason for the persistence of Bon is the recency of formal Buddhist institutions in Goleng, he demonstrates that Bon beliefs are so deeply embedded in village social life that some Buddhists paradoxically feel it necessary to reach some kind of accommodation with Bon priests. Through an analysis of the relationship between Shamanic Bonand Buddhism, and the contemporary dynamics of Bhutanese society, this book tackles the longstanding concern of anthropology: cultural persistence and change. It discusses the mutual accommodation and attempted amalgamation of Buddhism and Bon, and offers fresh perspectives on the centraldistinguishing features of Great and Little Traditions.

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